The bride was from Wisconsin. The groom was from the San Francisco Bay Area.

And the wedding reception was Saturday night at the Astor Hotel in Milwaukee.

So while the bride, Anne Rindone, and the groom, Paul Streett, danced the night away, a cluster of wedding guests was huddled around a television set in the hotel bar, watching the Green Bay Packers-San Francisco 49ers NFC divisional playoff game.

"There are only a few things that could keep me from watching the game. Getting married to my one and only Anne tops the list," said Streett.

In bars, bowling alleys and banquet halls, and yes, lots and lots of homes across southeastern Wisconsin, fans gathered in front of television sets to see if the Packers could keep a Super Bowl dream alive.

But Green Bay couldn't match San Francisco's speed and muscle as the 49ers won at home, 45-31, and advanced to the NFC title game.

At Landmark Credit Union's recognition dinner at the Country Springs Hotel in Waukesha, scores of Landmark workers wore Packers jerseys while the firm's CEO was decked out in a Packers tie.

"No other team gear is allowed. No 49ers gear," said Ron Kase, the Landmark CEO.

After awards were handed out, big-screen televisions were turned on and the employees watched the game.

The Academy Award nominations came out Thursday, and a few new movies were on the bill - normally the makings of a big Saturday movie night - but the crowds were thin at the Marcus Majestic Cinema in Waukesha.

Celia Garcia, a teen from Waukesha, joined two of her friends to see the movie "A Haunted House."

"I wanted to watch the game. But my friends wanted to go to the movies," she said.

Still, Garcia had a plan to keep up with the game - following the action on her smartphone.

At Bluemound Bowl in Brookfield, the Saturday night couples league was in full swing. The game played on screens above the lanes as the bowlers aimed for strikes.

Claudia Seefeld of New Berlin and Claudia Towne of Brookfield bowled while wearing Packers jerseys. Between frames, they kept up a running conversation with Dan Saccomando, a Bears fan from Chicago.

"I don't really care about the game," Saccomando said.

"We've tried to convert him," Towne said.

Jeff Przybylski converted his 50th birthday party into a Packers Party at Erv's Mug in Oak Creek. Around 50 of his friends and relatives crowded into a back banquet room, ate chicken wings, meatballs, taco dip, sandwiches and sausages and downed beers while watching the game.

Danielle Baerwald, owner of the bar-restaurant, was happy the birthday party had been booked. There was an early pregame rush, but by the kickoff, she said, only one table was occupied in the main dining room.

"In general, the Saturday night games hurt business," she said. "But when the Packers win, people are happier."

Not on this night, though.

Of course, not everyone was wrapped up in the Packers game.

At the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, the crowd was enthralled with a production of Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility." Women easily outnumbered the men in the audience.

As the crowd streamed out of the theater at intermission, a few men eagerly checked their cellphones to find out the score.

"I got the ESPN app," said Tom Rhode. "I tried not to open it up during the play. That would be uncouth."

At the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, more than 350 tickets were switched out from the night performance of the musical "Memphis" as people juggled plans to watch the game.

Jeff Kara of Pewaukee made the show. He and his wife picked the date months ago to watch the show with a group of friends.

Kara showed his support for Green Bay by wearing a Packers sweater.

And, during intermission, he stayed away from any news of the game.

"We've got it taped," he said. "We'll watch it late."

About Bill Glauber

Bill Glauber is a general assignment reporter, focusing on profiles and politics.